Sweet potatoes are versatile and nutritious, packing a good amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese into each serving. They also have anti-cancer properties and may promote immune function, gut health, brain function, and eye health.
Sweet potatoes promote fullness, due to their high fiber and water content. This may lead you to eat fewer calories, which could lead to weight loss.
Sweet potatoes are starches and not low-carb vegetables, with about 20 net carbs per medium potato. If you're counting carbs, you might want to choose them only occasionally and not every day. Also, don't make sweet potatoes your only vegetable choice in a day.
Sweet potatoes are often touted as being healthier than white potatoes, but in reality, both types can be highly nutritious. While regular and sweet potatoes are comparable in their calorie, protein, and carb content, white potatoes provide more potassium, whereas sweet potatoes are incredibly high in vitamin A.
It's important to note that for the same amount of calories, carrots have almost double the Vitamin A and beta-carotene, 17+ fold more alpha-carotene, and contain lutein+xeaxanthin (whereas sweet potatoes don't have any!).
One cup of raw sweet potato contains about 114 calories, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein and 0 grams of fat. One cup of white potato has 116 calories, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of protein and 0 grams of fat.
Sweet potatoes, often inaccurately called yams, are considered a superfood, thanks to their many health benefits, says nutritionist Katherine Tallmadge. They're loaded with beta carotene, which functions as a potent antioxidant and a rich source of vitamin A.
Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying. Up to 92% of the nutrient can be retained by limiting the cook time, such as boiling in a pot with a tightly covered lid for 20 minutes.
Calories, Carbs and Fiber
In a 100-gram serving, which equals about 1/2 cup, cooked brown rice supplies more calories than a plain baked sweet potato, with 112 calories versus 90. It also contains slightly more carbs, with 24 grams in the rice and 21 in the potato.
Sweet potatoes are mainly composed of carbs. Most of the carbs come from starch, followed by fiber. This root vegetable is also relatively low in protein but still an important protein source in many developing countries.
Both white rice and sweet potatoes provide similar amounts of carbohydrates and calories, but while white rice tends to be processed more than its cousin, sweet potatoes contain more fiber and offer a greater amount of nutrients. The result? It's better for your health to eat sweet potatoes instead of white rice.
Side-Effects & Allergies of Sweet Potatoes
People with heart disease and on beta-blockers medication should avoid consuming this vegetable. This is due to the fact that beta-blockers cause potassium levels to increase and further consumption of potassium-rich sweet potatoes may create complications.
The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes has been shown to fight inflammation, and eating them regularly can help ease joint pain and other symptoms of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. If you're looking for a delicious way to reduce inflammation, add some sweet potatoes to a salad or bake alongside protein!
Sweet potatoes also provide vitamin B6 and vitamin C, which have powerful health benefits. Vitamin B6 bolsters brain development in children and brain function in adults. B6 also helps the body produce serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood and helps you cope with stress.
Because of their higher sugar levels and high vitamin A content, you can likely enjoy them in moderation about two or three times per week. Eating these vegetables too often could lead to too much vitamin A intake or increase the potential for negative effects on your blood sugar.
Sweet potatoes fall into the healthy carb category. A medium sweet potato has about 140 calories and 5 grams of fiber. Sweet potatoes also have a low glycemic index score.
Research shows that sweet potatoes can lower your LDL "bad" cholesterol, which may lower your odds of heart problems.
In a nutrition battle between a banana and sweet potato, the sweet potato would come out ahead. A baked sweet potato has the same calories per gram as a banana, yet has one gram more fiber and five grams less sugar per medium serving.
Despite its sweet taste, tweaking your diet with sweet potatoes can gradually reduce your LDL cholesterol level, which often leads to clogging up of arteries and experts believe that moderate consumption of sweet potatoes can help in improving heart health.
At the same time, the glycemic index of boiled sweet potatoes was found to be about half that of baking or roasting, so boiled sweet potatoes give us less of a blood sugar spike. Make sure to keep the skin on, though.
When eaten in moderation, all kinds of sweet potatoes are healthy. They're very high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals and can safely be included in a diabetes-friendly diet.
Baked sweet potatoes are a nutritious and healthy complex carbohydrate that you can enjoy year-round. Both sweet and savory, this top potato pick is packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Sweet potatoes can be mashed and served as a side, in casseroles, or sliced and baked for sweet potato fries.
Boiling sweet potatoes does leach out nutrients, but according to physician and author Dr. Michael Greger, of NutritionFacts.org, boiling sweet potatoes lowers their glycemic index, which means you get less insulin spike after eating them.